Painting tool

ABSTRACT

A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached to one end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in a threaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on the extension. The head can be a brush head containing bristles or sponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraper blade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodiment provides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension for use on painting surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a painting tool, and, more particularly, butnot by way of limitation, to a painting tool adapted for mounting on anextension. The painting tools according to the present invention includea straight paint brush, a paint brush with angled bristles, a scraper,and a combination hammer/scraper.

2. Discussion

Commercial and residential painting jobs often require painting ofelevated surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, andother hard-to-reach areas. Extensions, including telescoping extensions,are well known in the art for use with paint rollers. The paint rollerhandle typically includes a female fitting which mates with a malefitting on the end of the extension. The use of a paint roller extensionpermits the painter to minimize use of ladders, thereby reducing boththe time required to complete the job and also the safety risksassociated with working from a ladder.

Hard-to-reach areas are not always accessible using a paint rollerattached to an extension. Corners must still be cut in, and the area tobe painted almost always includes nooks and crannies not suited to theuse of a paint roller. Although some ladder work may always be required,a paint brush adapted for use with an extension would further save timeand reduce the amount of ladder work.

Surface preparation prior to painting poses similar challenges. Nails indry wall, exterior siding, and other locations often work loose so thenail heads catch on paint rollers. In many cases, only a minimum forceis required to return the nail heads to a position flush with thepainting surface. In those instances, a hammer adapted for attachment toan extension would be desirable.

Surface preparation sometimes requires scraping. As with the hammerdescribed above, a scraper adapted for attachment to an extension wouldbe useful.

Brushes used by painters include brushes having bristles tapered for usearound sashes and other locations. For hard-to-reach locations, brusheshaving bristles which are offset with respect to the brush handle wouldbe especially handy for brushes adapted for attachment to an extension.For greatest flexibility, the brushes adaptable for attachment to anextension should also be suitable for hand use.

Accordingly, what is needed is a paint brush adapted for attachment toan extension but also suitable for hand use. Likewise, a scraper and ahammer, each adapted for attachment to an extension for use inhard-to-reach areas, is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A painting tool for attachment to an extension has a head attached toone end of a handle. The other end of the handle terminates in athreaded female adaptor which mates with a threaded male adapter on theextension. The head can be a paint brush head containing bristles orsponge material or, in the alternative, the head can support a scraperblade for cleaning surfaces prior to painting. Another embodimentprovides a combination hammer/scraper for attachment to an extension foruse on painting surfaces.

An object of the present invention is to provide a painting tool adaptedfor quick and easy attachment to a standard paint roller extension.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paint brushsuited for hand use and also suited for attachment to a standard paintroller extension.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a scraperadapted for quick and easy attachment to a standard paint rollerextension.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome clear from the following description of the preferred embodimentwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a paint brush according to the present inventionshown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 2 is a view of another paint brush according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a view of another paint brush according to the presentinvention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 4 is a view of another paint brush according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a view of another paint brush according to the presentinvention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 6 is a view of a scraper according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a combination hammer/scraper according to thepresent invention shown with a telescoping extension.

FIG. 8 is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is another view of the combination hammer/scraper of FIGS. 7-8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of the invention, like numerals andcharacters designate like elements throughout the figures of thedrawings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a paint brush 20 according to the presentinvention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in athreaded male adapter M. The paint brush 20 has a head 22 attached toone end 24 of a handle 26. The other end 28 of the handle 26 terminatesin a threaded female adapter 30. The head 22 of the paint brush 20 hasbristles 32. In use, the threaded female adapter 30 on the paint brushhandle 26 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E.

Referring now to FIG. 2, another paint brush 40 according to the presentinvention has a head 42 attached to one end 44 of a handle 46. The otherend 48 of the handle 46 terminates in a threaded female adapter 50. Thehead 42 of the paint brush 40 has bristles 52. In use, the threadedfemale adapter 50 on the paint brush handle 46 is attached to thethreaded male adapter M on the extension E (See FIG. 1).

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the paint brush 20and the paint brush 40 are suitable for use without attachment to theextension E. It will also be understood by one skilled in the art thatthe present invention is not limited to bristled paint brushes such asthe brushes 20,40, but includes sponge paint brushes and paint brushesof all shapes and styles. It will be further understood by one skilledin the art that, although the present invention is illustrated withrespect to mating threaded female and male adapters, any suitableadapter, such as a bayonet-style adapter, is within the scope of theinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, another paint brush 60 according to the presentinvention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminating in athreaded male adapter M. The paint brush 60 has a head 62 attached toone end 64 of a handle 66. The other end 68 of the handle 66 terminatesin a threaded female adapter 70. The head 62 of the paint brush 60 hasbristles 72. In use, the threaded female adapter 70 on the paint brushhandle 66 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E.The handle 66 is attached to the head 62 at angle 74 so the brush head62 is offset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle 66.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another paint brush 80 according to the presentinvention is adapted for a use with an extension E-terminating in athreaded male adapter M. The paint brush 80 has a head 82 attached toone end 84 of a handle 86. The other end 88 of the handle 86 terminatesin a threaded female adapter 90. The head 82 of the paint brush 80 hasbristles 92. In use, the threaded female adapter 90 on the paint brushhandle 86 is attached to the threaded male adapter M on the extension E.The handle 86 is attached to the head 82 at an angle 94 so the head isoffset about 15-45 degrees with respect to the handle 86.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another paint brush 100 according to thepresent invention is adapted for a use with an extension E terminatingin a threaded male adapter M. The paint brush 100 has a head 102attached to one end 104 of a handle 106. The other end 108 of the handle106 terminates in a threaded female adapter 110. The head 102 of thepaint brush 100 has bristles 112. In use, the threaded female adapter110 on the paint brush handle 106 is attached to the threaded maleadapter M on the extension E. The handle 106 is attached to the head 102at an angle 114 so the head is offset about 15-45 degrees with respectto the handle 116. It will be understood by one skilled in the art thatthe brush head 102 of FIG. 5 is rotated 90 degrees with respect to thebrush head 62 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a scraper 120 according to the present has ahead 122 attached to one end 124 of a handle 126. The other end 128 ofthe handle 126 terminates in a threaded female adapter 130. The head 122of the scraper 120 has a blade 132 with a blade edge 134. In use, thethreaded female adapter 130 on the scraper handle 126 is attached to thethreaded male adapter M on the extension E. Optionally, the blade edge134 of the scraper blade 132 is tapered at an angle 136 of about 10-30degrees to facilitate use of the scraper 120 in corners.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, a combination hammer/scraper tool member 140has a hammer head 142 on one end and a scraper 144 on the other. Athreaded female adapter 146 located between the hammer head 142 and thescraper 144 mates with the threaded male adapter M of the extension E.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the hammer head 142is useful for re-seating nails protruding from elevated surfaces to bepainted such as siding, trim, dry wall, etc. Similarly, the scraper 144is useful for scraping hard-to-reach surfaces prior to painting. It willalso be understood that, in many cases, an extension E measuring only afew feet enables the painter to reach paint surfaces without the use ofladders. In other cases, a longer extension may be required. It will befurther understood by one skilled in the art that the combinationhammer/scraper 140 can be constructed from any suitable material,including steel, aluminum, or plastic.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application,to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize theinvention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

1. A painting tool for attachment to an extension to facilitate use ofthe painting tool on elevated painting surfaces such as ceilings, highwalls, gables, skylights, and other hard-to-reach area, the extensionbeing characterized as having an extension adapter for receiving anattachment, the painting tool comprising: a head; a handle having afirst end and a second end, the second end terminating in a paintingtool adapter; and wherein the head is attached to the first end of thehandle and the painting tool adapter mates with the extension adapter.2. The device of claim 1, wherein the extension adapter is a threadedmale adapter and the painting tool adapter is a threaded female adapter.3. The painting tool of claim 2, wherein the head further comprisespaint brush bristles for applying paint to the painting surface.
 4. Thepainting tool of claim 3, wherein the head is aligned with the handle sothe paint brush bristles are substantially parallel to the handle. 5.The painting tool of claim 3, wherein the head is aligned with thehandle so the paint brush bristles are offset with respect to the handleat an angle of about 15-45 degrees.
 6. The painting tool of claim 5,wherein the angle is about 20 degrees.
 7. The painting tool of claim 2,wherein the head further comprises a scraper for use on the paintingsurface.
 8. A combination hammer/scraper tool for attachment to anextension to facilitate use of the hammer/scraper tool on elevatedpainting surfaces such as ceilings, high walls, gables, skylights, andother hard-to-reach area, the extension being characterized as having anadapter for attaching a painting tool, the combination hammer/scrapertool comprising: a member having a hammer head on one end and a scraperon the other end; and an adapter positioned between the hammer head andthe scraper, wherein the adapter on the member mates with the adapter onthe extension.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein the extension adapter isa threaded male adapter and the adapter on the member is a threadedfemale adapter.